catcall

noun

cat·​call ˈkat-ˌkȯl 

plural catcalls

1

: a usually loud, sexually suggestive, threatening or harassing call or remark directed at someone publicly (as on the street)

… every single time I go running in a public place without my male running partner, I am the target of catcalls.

—Natalie DeBlasio

Sometimes sexism is obvious: a guy hurling a crude catcall from a moving car.

—Kaitlin Menza

They were hippies in the South, at a time when long hair provoked catcalls …

—Leigh Ann Henion

2

: a loud or raucous cry made especially to express disapproval (as at a sports event)

Even Winslow, who led the league in catches for the second straight year, was hearing catcalls.

—Rick Reilly

When the 43-year-old came to the stage here at a university student center in the Detroit suburbs, about half of the crowd gave her a standing ovation–and the other half unleashed a chorus of boos and catcalls.

—Griff Witte

catcall verb

catcalled; catcalling; catcalls

Synonyms

• bird [chiefly British]
• boo
• Bronx cheer
• hiss
• hoot
• jeer
• raspberry
• razz
• snort

Examples of catcall in a Sentence

The pitcher heard angry catcalls as he walked off the field.

the band's sloppy playing produced only catcalls from the crowd

Recent Examples on the Web

As this incident has shown, what sounds to one person like a term of respect can feel like a catcall to another. —Beth Teitell, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Apr. 2023

Enter Email Sign Up And President Biden’s criticism in his State of the Union address of a proposal by Senator Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, that Democrats said would threaten Social Security and Medicare sparked an unprecedented burst of catcalls from GOP lawmakers. —Jim Puzzanghera, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Feb. 2023

This was not a vulgar catcall—I was swathed in more fabric than the Virgin Mary. —Katharine K. Zarrella, WSJ, 2 Apr. 2022

Meet the Fighting Irish opponents, dates and locations for 2020, along with a prominent returning opposing player Indianapolis Star SOUTH BEND — Brian Kelly hears the whispers, which sometimes probably feel more like catcalls. —Eric Hansen, Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2020

Word History

Etymology

cat entry 1 + call entry 2

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

catcall

noun

cat·​call -ˌkȯl 

: a sound like the cry of a cat or a noise expressing disapproval

catcall verb